Troubling portrait emerges of Fort Hood suspect

[Terri]

By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE
Associated Press
November 6, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- His name appears on radical Internet postings. A fellow officer says he fought his deployment to Iraq and argued with soldiers who supported U.S. wars. He required counseling as a medical student because of problems with patients.

There are many unknowns about Nidal Malik Hasan, the man authorities say is responsible for the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. Most of all, his motive. But details of his life and mindset, emerging from official sources and personal acquaintances, are troubling.

For six years before reporting for duty at Fort Hood, Texas, in July, the 39-year-old Army major worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center pursuing his career in psychiatry, as an intern, a resident and, last year, a fellow in disaster and preventive psychiatry. He received his medical degree from the military's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., in 2001.

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[Terri]

Army: Suspect said 'Allahu Akbar!' before shooting

By APRIL CASTRO and DEVLIN BARRETT
Associated Press
November 6, 2009

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) -- The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire at the Texas post.

Lt. Gen. Robert Cone told NBC's "Today" show on Friday that suspected shooter, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, made the comment, which is Arabic for "God is great!" before the rampage Thursday that also left 30 people wounded.

[MamaCat]

This is where "political correctness" gets us. Here was a devout Muslim man who did not hesitate to openly speak against the mission of his country to his fellow soldiers, and was looking for a way to avoid deployment. What idiots didn't see this coming?

[Terri]

That's what I want to know also.

Did political correctness keep the Army from removing this man from active duty?

The answer seems obvious when we've already heard so much about the things he had been saying in the months leading up to his attack.

A sideline to this topic is posted in the Obama Admin section of the forum. When our POTUS spoke on this topic yesterday he spent a full two minutes discussing a government conference BEFORE he could bring himself to speak of the attack at Ft. Hood.

The video is on the sidebar and more details on Obama's shameful performance are posted here.

[oldjules]

Did political correctness keep the Army from removing this man from active duty?

How did he get cleared to have his medical education paid by the gov. while he was drawing his military salary? Someone did not do their job in doing his back ground check and they should be help responsible.

When I think of the good people that were passed over to give this terrorist all the advantages it just flat out flabbergasts me and some one should be under review for allowing him clearance. They did not do their job.

[Charie]

He said Hasan was a lifelong Muslim.

At first we heard he was a convert.

You're right about that MC. Political correctness by the Army is what killed all those soldiers. I'm sure if he had been "white" he'd have had his butt booted out and would have been investigated by the FBI really fast.

If they don't start investigating these people we can expect more of this. What people say is about as good an indication of what they might possibly do as anything. Just because they are of a minority ethnic group should have nothing to do with it.

I wonder if he didn't join the Army with this as an eventual goal. Well, he didn't get his 72 virgins but he'll have all the bleeding hearts telling how he was picked on and it was probably the soldiers who brought it all on themselves.

I saw some of that on TV last night. I also think some of those imams are lying through their teeth. According to the Koran it's not a sin to lie to Christians or Jews, actually anyone who isn't a Muslim.

[MamaCat]

How did he get cleared to have his medical education paid by the gov. while he was drawing his military salary? Someone did not do their job in doing his back ground check and they should be help responsible.

OJ, he went thru medical school at United States Uniformed Health Services in Bethesda, MD. It is the military's medical school, and the way it works is that the students are in the military as they go through the school, so they do receive the salary of their rank, do not pay for the education, but owe the military a certain number of years of service to "repay" what has been given them. I know several people who have become doctors this way. USUHS at one time had a 90-something percent retention rate of doctors past the time those doctors owed in repayment. It may not be that high now.

As far as Hassan goes, it is my understanding that he was in the military for several years as an enlisted soldier before he went to medical school as an officer. He had a good record or I can guarantee you that he would never have gotten into that school. I know one of the men who would have likely had a say in the selection process at that time.

PS, not that it's relevant in any way, but Ft. Hood has a special place in my heart. My husband was stationed there and we lived in Killeen for a couple of years.

This whole thing is so sad on so many levels.

[Terri]

US Army Base Massacre: Killer Caught On CCTV

1:20pm UK, Friday November 06, 2009

Jo Couzens, Sky News Online
A military psychiatrist suspected of shooting dead 13 people at America's biggest army base has been caught on CCTV buying breakfast just hours earlier.

The photo shows Hasan in Arab garb buying breakfast at 7-11.

[oldjules]

I wonder if he didn't join the Army with this as an eventual goal.

Charles in my opinion this is exactly what happened.

What I have seen on tv a officer remarked that with the blemishes on the shooters record it should have been enough to prevent him from getting a promotion.

[MamaCat]

What I have seen on tv a officer remarked that with the blemishes on the shooters record it should have been enough to prevent him from getting a promotion.

I agree. The military was probably afraid NOT to promote him -- pc.


That picture of him in his Muslim garb makes me physically ill. What in the heck was the Army thinking!? I think there will be repercussions for some of his superior officers on this one. Or at least there should be!